Newbie - how often to feed?

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Marquegirl86

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I posted in a hurry earlier. My name is Marque and I own two 8 month old Sulcata tortoises, Shelly and Torue. Right now I have them on a diet of hibiscus leaves, Timothy hay and Bermuda grass. They eat every other day, I soak them everyday and try to put them in natural sunlight as often as I can. Today my daughter put them outside and forgot about them. When she brought them on both babies were gasping and blowing bubbles out of their mouths. Immediately I put them in water to soak and after about 30 mins both were fine again. To me they seem small for 8 months old but I have never owned a tortoise in my life so I have nothing for comparison . If you have any advice in general for me that would be great....I still have a lot of learning.
 

wellington

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RE: Newbie

Hello and Welcome.:) First, most of us feed every day. I personally would change that. Also, check the threads below in my post. They all are great for new Sullies. They need high humidity for growing smooth and healthy. The threads will explain. I would also try to get them some more variety into their diet. Check out the tortoisetable.org for more edible foods.


Also, torts should have water available 24/7 and they should always have shade available when outside.
 

mctlong

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RE: Newbie

Barb's right. Sulcatas, especially hatchlings, need to be fed everyday. They grow very quickly and therefore require alot of calories to grow properly. If they don't eat enough, their growth will be stunted and it can effect their health. Here's a sulcata diet sheet: http://www.tortoiseforum.org/thread-64290.html

There are five posts stickied at the top of the sulcata tortoise section of this forum. I suggest reading all five (especially the hatchling caresheet). They include caresheets and general information about the species and are a must-read for all new sully owners. They are posted here: http://www.tortoiseforum.org/forum-88.html

Welcome to the forum :)
 

Marquegirl86

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Thank you so much! I am growing dandelion and geraniums to add to their diet as well...their favorite is the hibiscus leaves they eat those the best. How big should they be for 7-9 months? Both are from the same clutch but its impossible to know when they hatched as they were an accidental hatching and it was never known where the nest was, we got them from a friend. But I keep them in a zoo-med tortoise house with coconut husk Eco bricks as the substrate. I know it has to stay moist at all times. They still seem pretty small to me.
 

mctlong

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Marquegirl86 said:
Thank you so much! I am growing dandelion and geraniums to add to their diet as well...their favorite is the hibiscus leaves they eat those the best. How big should they be for 7-9 months? Both are from the same clutch but its impossible to know when they hatched as they were an accidental hatching and it was never known where the nest was, we got them from a friend. But I keep them in a zoo-med tortoise house with coconut husk Eco bricks as the substrate. I know it has to stay moist at all times. They still seem pretty small to me.

Mine love hibiscus too. The growth rates seem to differ a great deal between individuals. Their size is going to depend on alot of factors including genetics, diet, and environment. My 8-month old sulcata is just over 4 inches long (measuring straight carapace length) and about 300 grams. I've seen some who are much larger at that age and others who are much smaller. The important thing is that the hatchlings are growing. Hatchlings that are malnourished, dehydrated, or kept in a less than adequate environment (especially an environment that is too cold), will stop growing and thats when its time to worry and make changes.
 
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